North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared he will shut down his nuclear test site in May. After Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at the demilitarized zone between the two countries over the weekend, the announcement was made public through South Korea’s presidential office.
The two leaders also agreed to invite experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States into the country to ensure “transparency” around the closure of the test site, CNN reports. A joint statement was issued declaring “new era of peace.” Additionally, Jong Un made the decision to change Pyongyang’s time zone by half an hour to align it with Seoul time.
During the meeting, Jong Un told Jae-in that he would not target the United States or South Korea with nuclear weapons. “The United States, though inherently hostile to North Korea, will get to know once our talk begins that I am not the kind of person who will use nuclear weapons against the South or the United States across the Pacific,” Jae-in’s spokesman Yoon Young-chan quoted Jong Un. “There is no reason for us to possess nuclear weapons … if mutual trust with the United States is built through frequent meetings from now on, and an end to the war and non-aggression are promised.”
Jong Un is also set to meet United States President Donald Trump within weeks.